The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-07
DOWN THE FLORIDA SOUTHERN
The Attractions of Bowling Green Peace
Greek.
Correspondence ~ the I,Iidfkd NeaoS.
FLORIDA SOUTHERN RAILWAY,
June q. 1887.

W. AHCts
The train over the Florida Southern
Railway leaves Barlow at o'clock
n. m, and passes through Homeland 10
Fort Meade amid the most fertile land
the writer has ever seen in Florida. The
soil is rich. II has that reddish yellow
tint so common in the land of New Jer-
sey, and there seems To be no reason
why this part of the State need not be-
come a veritable garden. fit to feed the
whole North.
About eighteen miles south of Barlow
the road passes the new towL of Bow
ling Green. Mr.. Ross. of Interlachen,
is largely interested i'm Bowling Green,
and It will never do for your correspond
ent To go down South without having to
say something about Bowling Green,
therefore we yield Mr.. Ross the floor
while he himself tells better than we
can do of the attractions of Bowling
Green.
PEACE CREEK.
Between Stanley and Zolfo Springs the
railway passes Peace Creek, and here is
found some of the most beautiful scenery
i'm the State of Florida. All along the
creek. or rather river. are thick forests
of oak, cypress and other water loving
trees, while now and then the stream
break through high tract Of land, and
the banks of the creek are covered by
pine, oak and hickory trees. Now and
then hammock is traversed, and trip
down the river i'm a canoe is said 10 be
one of the most pleasant journeys imagi-
nable.
In many places on the Peace River, so
| am told by those who know, are 10 be
found the bones of huge extinct animals.
which have lived and died before the
foot of man trod these sands. In many
other places are found Indian mounds,
which the traditions of the present race
of Indians-or rather the remains of that
race-state to have existed in their pres
ent condition since before the most an
cient time of their remembrance.
Perhaps these mounds were built when
Florida was connected with South Amer
lea, and Cuba was but mountain aris-
ing from the immense sand areas, and
the Gulf of Mexico was but an immense
inland lake.
In some places near the coast, the
writer has been told that human teeth
can be picked up by the hundred, most
of them i'm a splendid state of preservation
and looking as if "A dentists show case
had but lately wrecked thereat
Peace Creek rises near Barlow, and
flows south to Charlotte Harbor, dis
tance of - miles. During the Indian
wars. the Indians and whites used to
claim and occupy opposite sides of this
creek, and they used to occupy them
selves by shooting each other ON sight.
whenever one of them was caught on the
wrong side of the stream. Peace was
kept when each side staid on it, own
side of the creek, hence the name-Peace
Creek. A branch of the creek, called
Charlie Apopka, makes off to the east at
"A station by that name, and runs a score
Of miles into the backwoods.
PINE LEVEL.
Ten miles farther south is the town of
Arcadia. and ten miles west of here is
the famous "Pine Level, and "A town of
that name.
Nocatee, on Joshua Creek five miles
south. is another town possessing good
farming lands, and still eight miles
further south is historical Fort Ogden,
which is too well known from history,
to paaI a daseripi ion here
HOY NOT To LASD.
At this place, "A tall young backwoods-
man got on board the train. The inside
of the car proving too close 90 suit, he
took a position on the front platform
where he kept himself busily employed
in looking one way with his eyes, and in
the other direction, seemingly with his
wide open mouth and lost his hat in try
ing it, He wanted to get off at Liver
pool three miles south of Fort Ogden,
and at that place the engineer slowed up,
and our fellow passenger jumped
off. Ii seems that this young man had
not been professional train jumper, or
perhaps he was out of practice, at any
idit nt if'hS phh it7
body would not stop when his shoes did,
but continued on, destroying his equili-
brium until he turned "A complete somer-
sault and landed ''kerslap' in a ditch,
much to the amusement of the passen-
gers, and the dismay of an eighteen inch
gator, which skurried off and hid in the
mud. The engineer saluted with three
whistles as the young man pulled him
self out of the mud and gazed after the
fast vanishing train, and then gazed
mournfully up the track where his hat
was peacefully lying half a mile away.
THE SALT MARSHES.
Prairie Creek is passed, then Cleave-
land and next comes the first view of the
Gulf of Mexico salt marshes. "What
are they like asked friend upon our
return. Like New Jersey salt marsh,
all set full of cabbage palmettoes, Is
about the best description the writer can
give. They look like Northern marsh
all full of musk rat houses; or il any one
has ever seen the Plum Island Hun
dreds" off the Massachusetts, coast. then
he can imagine how the marshes look a,
the head of Charlotte Harbor. In the
Hundreds" thousands of stacks oi
marsh hay look very much lin "A dis
tance) like the many cabbages which dot
the ulf gmarshes. At Cleaveland. tho
coast lands begins to exert its sway. The
pines dwindfe in size, become scattering
and the palmetto scrub reigns almost su
| preme clear down TO tide water.